Artists Space

Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN

Music
October 21, 2022, 7:30pm

A black and white image of a figure in profile with long, wispy hair and a mustache holding a guitar.
Tisziji Muñoz [A black and white image of a figure in profile with long, wispy hair and a mustache holding a guitar.]

Tisziji Muñoz featuring Paul Shaffer (piano), with Don Pate (bass), Adam Benham (drums), and Zulfugar Baghirov (sax).

Tisziji Muñoz is a visionary avant-garde jazz improviser whose highly unique single-line guitar playing style extends the innovations of his radical forefathers Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, and his long-time collaborator Pharaoh Sanders. Born in 1946, Muñoz began performing in New York City and Canada in the early 1970s and recorded his first album Rendezvous with Now on the India Navigation label in 1978. Muñoz has performed with Rashied Ali, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Henry Kaiser, Ra Kalam Bob Moses, and many others, and his five decade career includes a vast repertoire of inspired compositions released on his Anami Music imprint. Having adopted an ascetic lifestyle, Muñoz rarely appears in public, making his performances rare and historic events. For this special concert he will be joined by a band including his longtime devotee and spiritual disciple Paul Shaffer.

Opening the evening will be Francisco Mora Catlett's AfroHORN, with Sam Newsome (soprano saxophone), D. D. Jackson (piano), Bob Stewart (tuba), and Román Dias (congas).

A Mexican-American percussionist and former Sun Ra Arkestra member, Catlett's recent projects include the electronic Afrofuturist group Innerzone Orchestra (with Carl Craig and Craig Taborn) and ongoing collaborations with his former Arkestra colleague Marshall Allen, in addition to his own band.

A figure sits on a piano bench, holding a guitar vertically against the figure
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure sits on a piano bench, holding a guitar vertically against the figure's body.]
A band plays on stage, with a figure playing the piano in the foreground of the image, while another plays congas behind him. A third figure plays the tuba in the background.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A band plays on stage, with a figure playing the piano in the foreground of the image, while another plays congas behind him. A third figure plays the tuba in the background.]
A figure plays the saxophone on a stage.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure plays the saxophone on a stage.]
A figure plays the drums in the background with an out of focus piano in the foreground.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure plays the drums in the background with an out of focus piano in the foreground.]
A figure plays the piano in front of a crowd of seated people behind him.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure plays the piano in front of a crowd of seated people behind him.]
A figure in side profile plays the tuba which has been fitted with a microphone at the bell
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure in side profile plays the tuba which has been fitted with a microphone at the bell's opening.]
A figure stands on the stage with a mic, speaking to the crowd.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure stands on the stage with a mic, speaking to the crowd.]
A figure plays the guitar sitting down, while another figure stands behind him playing the bass.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure plays the guitar sitting down, while another figure stands behind him playing the bass.]
A figure plays the piano to a seated crowd behind him.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure plays the piano to a seated crowd behind him.]
A figure plays the guitar sitting down, while another figure stands behind him playing the bass.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure plays the guitar sitting down, while another figure stands behind him playing the bass.]
A figure in side profile studies sheet music placed on a piano.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure in side profile studies sheet music placed on a piano.]
A figure plays the guitar sitting down, while another figure stands behind him playing the bass.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure plays the guitar sitting down, while another figure stands behind him playing the bass.]
A figure to the left plays the saxophone while another figure sitting in the middle of the frame watches with a guitar in his lap, another figure in the back right plays the bass.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A figure to the left plays the saxophone while another figure sitting in the middle of the frame watches with a guitar in his lap, another figure in the back right plays the bass.]
A standing figure looks at the camera while playing the bass.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A standing figure looks at the camera while playing the bass.]
A band plays on stage in front of a seated crowd. From left to right, a figure is sitting and playing the piano, another figure stands and plays the saxophone, another figure in the back plays the drums, and the fourth figure stands and plays the guitar.
Tisziji Muñoz with Francisco Mora Catlett and AfroHORN. Performance documentation, October 21, 2022, Artists Space. Photo: Joshua Wildman [A band plays on stage in front of a seated crowd. From left to right, a figure is sitting and playing the piano, another figure stands and plays the saxophone, another figure in the back plays the drums, and the fourth figure stands and plays the guitar.]

Spirit-taught, avant-garde jazz virtuoso and extreme guitarist, Tisziji Muñoz is best known for his uniquely original guitar sound and playing style, likened to that of a spiritual tornado. Born on July 15, 1946, his career has spanned over five decades and includes a vast repertoire of creative works and inspired compositions released by his independent label, Anami Music. Muñoz has received unqualified praise from such artists and fellow collaborators as Rashied Ali, Paul Shaffer, Pharoah Sanders, John Medeski, McCoy Tyner, Dave Liebman, Henry Kaiser and Ra Kalam Bob Moses.

Francisco Mora Catlett is a drummer, composer, and educator who began his musical career in Mexico City where he worked as a session musician for Capitol Records from 1968-1970. He studied at Music School of UNAM, and with a Grant from the Mexican government from 1970 to 1973, he studied drums with Alan Dawson and composition at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. He left Mexico City with Sun Ra in 1973 and worked with him until 1980. In 1987, while in Detroit, he released his first album as a leader, the Pan-Afro project “Mora!”

Among the several grants he received, one was from the NEA to study with Max Roach in New York City. Mora Catlett worked with several of Roach's percussion ensemble M'Boom, appearing on two Blue Moon LPs, “To the Max” (1990) and “Live at S.O.B.'s” (1992) and in addition to composing for Mr. Roach’s Uptown String Quartet. In 1993, he became a visiting professor at Michigan State University. Mora-Catlett played on Detroit’s Techno producer Carl Craig's 1996 jazz/electronica fusion project “The Innerzone Orchestra” and “Programmed” (1999). The same year, using Innerzone cohorts Craig Taborn and Rodney Whitaker, Mora Catlett issued a second album “World Trade Music.” Following Mora Catlett's departure from Detroit in 2000 the Outer Zone Band’s first recording featuring Marshal Allen, Craig Taborn, and Carl Craig was released.

Mora-Catlett also co-founded the “Oyu Oro Afro-Cuban Experimental Dance Company” with his wife Danys Pérez Prades, also known as “La Mora,” a dance-music project experimenting with music from the African Diaspora that performs nationally and internationally. Mora-Catlett has issued two releases with the “Freedom Jazz Trio" and "New Under The Sun," recorded in 2010 featuring Francesco Tristano, while “Live At The Bronx Museum” showcased Craig Taborn. A new ensemble, the Outer Zone Band’s issued “Andromeda M-31," featuring Craig Taborn and JD Allen. Subsequent releases included the double CD “AfroHORN MX” (2012), AfroHORN's "Rare Metal" (2013) and "At the Edge of the Spiral" (2015-2016). Mora-Catlett also performed experimental music Paris on French television on November of 2018, a duo with Carl Craig in tribute to Sun Ra. The solo electronic music project "Electric Worlds" was released on November 19, 2021.

Artists Space Venue is generously supported by Stephen Cheng, Lonti Ebers, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Allan Schwartzman, and David Zwirner.

Sound system provided by Bentley Meeker. Piano provided by Yamaha Artist Services. Accommodations provided by Nine Orchard.

Special thanks to Bruce Gallanter.

    A black and white image of a figure with long, wispy hair and a mustache playing guitar.
    Tisziji Muñoz [A black and white image of a figure with long, wispy hair and a mustache playing guitar.]